The Weeknd is thanking Tom Cruise for helping him score a No. 1 hit earlier in his career.
In 2015, the Mission: Impossible actor participated in a lip sync battle on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he performed “Can’t Feel My Face” from The Weeknd’s sophomore album, Beauty Behind The Madness.
The track went on to become the artist’s first top hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, shortly after Cruise called the singer “enormously talented” on the late-night show.
The Weeknd reflected on that time during a recent appearance on The Tonight Show. “I definitely saw that. It actually helped the song,” he told host Jimmy Fallon. “It helped it peak to the record-breaking top, thanks to him, obviously. To the biggest movie star in the world.”
He noted that he’s still never met the actor, but that he’s “a huge Tom Cruise guy. I love The Color Of Money, love Vanilla Sky, love Rain Man, Eyes Wide Shot, Magnolia and Mission Impossible.”
To show his appreciation for Cruise, The Weeknd said he wanted “to return the favor” and “promote a little bit of Mission: Impossible,” the actor’s latest installment that releases on Friday. He clarified that he has “nothing to do with this movie” before proceeding to whip out a cap with The Final Reckoning‘s logo featured on it and read his own promotion card for the film.
In addition to “Can’t Feel My Face,” The Weeknd, real name Abel Tesfaye, has earned six more No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 throughout his career, including “Starboy,” “The Hills,” “Blinding Lights” and “Save Your Tears.” He also has the most songs in the Spotify Billions Club, with 27 tracks having reached over one billion streams.
